Wound Care Center Work Wraps Up in Beckley, W.Va.

Wehr Constructors recently completed work on a state-of-the-art wound care center in Beckley, W.Va. – the first of its kind in the region.

The center at Raleigh General Hospital is equipped with two hyperbaric chambers that will be staffed by a technician, two registered nurses, and a panel of doctors who are certified in wound care.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized room or tube, according to The Mayo Clinic. In a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the air pressure is increased to three times higher than normal air pressure. Under these conditions, your lungs can gather more oxygen than would be possible breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressure. This helps fight bacteria and stimulate the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing.

“The center will increase our patients’ quality of life and decrease the need for amputations,” Carolyn Fields, program director at the center, told The Register-Herald of Beckley. She noted that, previously, wound patients often would have to travel to other cities for the type of care the new center will provide.